UMD Theses and Dissertations
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/3
New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a given thesis/dissertation in DRUM.
More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.
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Item Designing to Engage Users in Sustainable Buildings(2015) Grzywa, Ashley; Draper, Powel; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis is an investigation of how buildings can be designed to encourage pro-environmental behavior by engaging users in a sustainable built environment. By engaging users in sustainability building design can reestablish a cultural understanding of humanity’s interdependence with the natural environment. The basis for investigation is a brief analysis of how cultural perceptions of the natural environment have changed over time and an understanding of what motivates pro-environmental behavior. Understanding of the types of work done and spaces used by building occupants throughout a work day informs opportunities for user engagement in the production, consumption, recycling and monitoring of energy, water and waste. Insights revealed through this research culminate in a design proposal for an office building that integrates user engagement with sustainable building performance and puts us on a path toward cultural transition to sustainable behavior and symbiosis with the natural environment.Item The Impact of Cool Roofs in Different Climatic Regions: A Quantitative Empirical Analysis(2014) Petry, Kimberly Johanna; McIntosh, Marla S; Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This research investigated regional climate differences and weather impacts on the effectiveness of cool roofs. In most US climate zones, cool roofs can reduce energy consumption because they reflect more sunlight and heat than standard roofs. Since temperatures are expected to increase in many regions, cool roofs may offer greater energy and cost savings than currently estimated. Energy consumption by Department of Energy (DOE) Research Laboratory buildings across the US with cool and standard roofs were assessed using metered energy datasets collected from 2003-2013. Statistical tests were conducted to compare differences in energy consumption of buildings between cool and standard roofs at sites in different climatic regions. In order to better understand the effectiveness of cool roof technologies in a future that is expected to become increasingly warmer, data collected from weather stations near each DOE site were used to interpret the potential influences of weather patterns on cool roof energy savings. This research confirmed that cool roofs do reduce energy consumption, especially at sites with warmer summers and milder winters. Regression analyses of energy consumption and temperature data were conducted to identify associations between air temperatures and heating and cooling degree-days with seasonal energy consumption. While the energy consumption of buildings with cool roofs was generally less than buildings with standard roofs, the differences in energy consumption varied depending on building use and building size.Item The Role of Academic Space Management at Research Universities and Academic Medical Centers(2008) Watt, Catherine E; Schmidtlein, Frank A.; Education Policy, and Leadership; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Facilities represent the greatest financial investment for most institutions, yet they remain largely ignored from a management perspective. Improving academic facilities information would provide institutional leaders with an additional tool to improve institutional planning and resource allocations. Academic Space Management (ASM) is a construct that suggests how space management can be more detailed, web-based, and utilized for planning and decision making. This project reports on a case study of three research-focused institutions and the institutions' interest in and use of space information. Results suggest the importance of senior leadership, trust among participants, the practical nature of the space database, and understanding the role that institutional culture plays.